One of the major issues facing society today is the growing number of people who are overweight or obese. Unfortunately, weight gain is often a problem that cascades into obesity due to the physiological and behavioral issues associated with weight gain, such as reduced activity and accelerated fat storage. Therefore, once a person begins to gain weight it can be very difficult to reverse course and take control of their weight.
In response to the large number of individuals who experience severe weight control problems, many weight management programs have been designed and promoted by the health industry. Despite their apparent differences, most of such programs share a common single mechanism of action, namely, to increase the ratio of calories burned per day to the amount of calories consumed per day. Many programs attempt to accomplish this by increasing the basal metabolic rate (BMR) through exercise or ingesting dietary stimulants (i.e. thermogenic supplements), such as ephedra, caffeine, and citrus aurantum among others. Other programs attempt to reduce or limit the number of calories consumed, some by simply tracking and limiting the calories, and others by the use of appetite suppressants. In still other cases, supplements are provided which are supposed to reduce or block the body's absorption of food ingested, such as carbohydrate blockers, or fat trappers. While a number of these programs have resulted in short term weight loss, many have also proven to have certain adverse health consequences, and some even have been thought to induce physiological responses that actually cause weight gain in the long run.
Of the above-recited mechanisms, exercising in order to increase the number of calories burned per day is probably the mechanism which has been most widely advocated by the health care industry. The calories that are burned during exercise can come from food that has recently been consumed that has not yet been reconfigured as fat storage within the body, or it can come from the body's stored energy, such as fat deposits, depending on the type of exercise employed. Accordingly, the amount of food, as well as the type and frequency of exercise, can impact the success of any exercise regimen. Improper nutrition intake coupled with exercise can actually cause the body to begin a vicious cycle of building fat after meals, and then not using all of the recently stored fat during the next exercise phase. The unfortunate result is an overall increase in stress and weight over time.
Some recent fad diets have focused on what people eat rather then when or how much they eat. While these diets can often result in dramatic short-term weight loss, restricting the type of food can also limit the opportunity to take in proper nutrients. For example, low-fat diets are typically higher in fiber and carbohydrates due to an increase in the volume of fruits and vegetables that are consumed, but may not provide enough fat and/or protein. On the other hand, low-carbohydrate diets, such as the Atkins diet, can result in weight loss because the intake of fat and protein can be self-limiting. However, the low-carbohydrate diet can fail with respect to nutritional value because of the elimination of many sources of Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, thiamin, folate, calcium, magnesium, zinc, potassium and/or dietary fiber. Accordingly, these fad diets can result in an improper nutritional balance, and can require supplementation in order for the dieter to stay healthy. Additionally, any time the sources of nutrients or the types of nutrients are limited, the body can become stressed in attempting to function properly without the proper fuel.
In summary, most current weight control programs employing a single modality, either deprive the body of required nutrients, or are likely to actually induce or contribute to weight gain over a long period of time. This is in part due to the cycle of unsustainable rapid weight loss, followed by failure to maintain the program efforts, followed by a weight gain to a level that is actually higher than previous. In many cases, the failure to maintain the program may be due to the loss of key nutrients and resultant deterioration of overall health. In other cases, the failure to maintain the program may be due to the physical discomfort or difficulty of staying on the program.
As a result, weight management and loss systems that safely and effectively, facilitate long term weight control without compromises in proper nutrition, or other adverse effects continue to be sought.